Projectile.



INVENTOR Paume Apr. s, new. w. a.. Bamm.

P B 0 J E C T l L E.

(Application led Feb. 1898. Renewed Oct. 17, 1899.)

(ku model.)

` NSN tra Sterns WILLIAM L. BREATH, or NEW YORK, N. Y., AssleNoR 'ro 'run oRDNANeE AND ARMAMENTS COMPANY, oF NEW DYN A lll ITE JERSEY.

PROJ ECTILE.

SPEGUICATION fol'rning part 0f Letters Patent N0. 646,569, dated April 3, 1900. Application iiled February 4, 1898. Renewed October 17, 1899. Serial No. 733,932, (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, it' may conce-rn:

Y Beit known that I, WILLIAM L. BREATH, a

citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Projectiles, .of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description. f .l

This invention relates to pneumatic guns adapted for tiring high explosives and to projectiles for such guns.

One of the objects of the invention is to simplify the construction of the gun and the sectional view of another form of Fig. 4 shows a modification of the base of thev tion of Vshell operation of loading and firing. Another object is to provide a gun which will not become unduly heated by rapid firing, and a still further object is to provide a construcor charge, the explosive, and the primer are contained in a single structure or frame, .whereby the operator is requiredto'handle but a sinle piece in loading the gun and an obvious advantage in packing and shipping the ammunition is obtained. Y

The invention will be described in detail with reference to the `accompanying drawings, in which- 'Figure 1 represeutsa longitudinal section of one form of gun and projectile in place ready for firing. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the projectile in shipping condition. Fig. 3 is a gun, and

projectile.

It is preferred to use with the projectile herein described a gun having an air-compression chamber communicating with the rear of the barrel behind the projectile,'in-

which the gases generated by the combustion of the charge will compress the air and react upon the base of the projectile, furnishing what is technically known vas alow-pressure discharge. I have therefore Vin this case associated my improved projectile with a gunI olf this character, although it may be used in other ,formsof guns.

I n Fig. 1 A represents the barrel of the gun; B, the air-compression chamber, commuuicating with the barrel at the rear end thereof; a, a breech-block of the usual construction, having segments of screw-thread projectile in which the firing' prevents the entrance of The projectile consists of the usual cylinf der C, provided with compartment c for the dynamite, nitroglycerin, or other high explosive and with the usual conical forward end c', carrying the fuse or exploding-cap.Y

The cylinder is provided with an axial rearward tubular extension c2, firmly fixed to the main cylinder and adapted to carry inside thereof a bag or cartridge of powder p, constituti ng the firing charge. The cl1arge-cham ber is separated from the explosive-chamber by diaphragms c4 c4, with an air-space between, preventing conduction of heat. the outside of the tube c2 the vanes r, which direct the tlight of the projectile, are fixed.

The extreme rear end of the tube c2 is of skeleton formation or provided with openings d, through which the gases generated by the combustion of the powder charge may, pass into the air-compression chamber B and the barrel. When the projectile is constructed, this open rear end is covered by a cap e,

which holds the powderl charge in the tube,

moisture, and'may be used to retain a drinn-cap or primer f in place, the primer being passed transversely through an opening in the side of the tube c, with its head resting against the side of the cap e. The projectile w'ill be shipped or handled with the cap ein place; but when it is about to be placed in the gun the cap eis removed, the primer taken ou t, and the projectile placed in position in the gun, after which the primer is put in place on the breech. block, as indicated in Fig. 1, where it will be directed toward the powder charge in the rojcctile. In Fig. 4 cap el is shown provilded with primer f and is not intended to be removed from the baseof Vthe projectile when itis inserted in the gun.- It is ofthin material, which the explosion. destroys at the iustant of firing. This is simpler and entails fewer acts uponthe operator in loading.

As before stated, the gun is loaded by placing the projectile in the position shown in Fig. 2 or as in Fig. 3, where it will be seen ,that the rear end of tube. c2 communicates freely with the air-chamber B; `Whcn fired,

Upon

the primer flashes forward into the tube c2 and ignites thcpowder charge 11 therein. The rear portionsof the charge burning first, the gasesxgen'erated escape rapidly rearward into the air-compression chamber and cause the air and gases to bank up therein. The pressure soon reaches the base of 'the projectile through the space around the outside of the tube c2, and it commences to rmove along the barrel. As it does so the unburned portion ot the charge continues to burn and adds to the initial pressure which started the projectile. Thus the final impetus given the projectile is not dependent upon the expansion ofthe initially-generated gases, since the slow burning of the charge keeps adding or piling up the pressure immediately behind the projectile as it moves along the barrel, the principle of the operation being much the same as in the multicharge gun, and many of the advantages claimed for the multicharge gun are obtained by the method of firing described herein.

, Another point of advantage in this projectile is that the burning powder does not come in contact to any serious extent with the gun,

but is confined tocontact with lthe tube c2 of vthe projectile which goes out of the gun, and

does not even radiate heat to any serious extent to theparts of the gun. Only the gases generated by the combustion of the charge come in contact with the breech and adjoining portions of the gun, and they while being hot are not nearly of the same temperature as theA flame at the point of combustion. In consequence of this this gun may be Iired many times at short intervals without danger of prematurely discharging the explosive or disabling the piece. In other guns of' this class, even where the charge is fired into a chamber separate from the barrel and is caused to burn more or less completely in said chamber, the heat generated-in the walls of the compression-chamber is soon conducted to the rear of the barrel, and so prevents rapid continuous firing.

In the gunysliown in Fig. b" the air-chamber surrounds the rear end of the barrel, and so affords a more 'symmetrical formation and one which may be constructed at less expense than the form shown in Fig. 1; but, as before stated, the projectile described may be used in other styles of guns and still obtain many of the benefits of my invention.

IIaving thus described my invention, I claim- A projectile for guns provided with a hollow tailpiece, open at its rear end and carrying therein the firing charge, in combination with a removable cap adapted to cover the open end of the talpiece, and a cap or primer held in place by the removable cap, substantially as described.

. In witness whereof I subscribe my signature in presence of two witnesses.

\Vitnesses:

HARRY BAILEY, FRANK S. OBER. 

